Public Meeting for Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Spill

The public is invited to attend a public informational meeting hosted by the New Mexico Environment Department concerning the Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Spill. The Department will provide an update on the ongoing investigation of the Spill, and facilitate a discussion on the revised Interim Measure, Groundwater, and Vadose Zone Work Plans received by the Department on March 31, 2011.

Representatives of the Air Force, the City of Albuquerque, and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority will also give brief remarks and be available to answer questions.

The Work Plans and other related documents are available at:
http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/hwb/kafbperm.htm#KAFBBulkFuelsFacSpill.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Cesar Chavez Community Center located at 7505 Kathryn Ave SE (near Louisiana and Kathryn SE) Albuquerque, New Mexico.

For further information regarding this meeting and the availability of documents, please contact John Kieling at the New Mexico Environment Department at (505) 476-6000.

Sandia National Labs and Kirtland Air Force Base Joint Public Meeting

Public Meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 6:00pm at the Cesar Chavez Community Center, located off of Louisiana Blvd. and Kathryn.

This is a joint meeting between Sandia National Laboratories' Environmental Programs and Kirtland Air Force Base Environmental Restoration Program (ERP). Please come join us and help plan our future stewardship of the environment.

Citizens may review Air Force ERP documents at the Kirtland AFB Information Repository at the Central New Mexico Community College-Montoya Campus Library, 4700 Morris NE or by visiting the Kirtland AFB website at http://www.kirtland.af.mil in the Environmental Issues section for Public Records. DOE documents are available at the University of New Mexico, Zimmerman Library.

For more information, please contact the Kirtland AFB Public Affairs at (505) 846-5991.

New Mexico Environment Department Public Meeting January 12, 2011

The New Mexico Environment Department is hosting a public meeting on the Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Spill. The Environment Department will provide information on the Light Non-aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL) Containment Interim Measure Work Plan, dated December 1, 2010 and status of work to characterize and clean up soil and groundwater contamination caused by the fuel spill.

The LANL Containment Interim Measure Work Plan and other related documents are available here.

For more information regarding this meeting and availability of documents please contact John Kieling

at the New Mexico Environment Department at (505) 476-6000.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

6:00pm to 7:30pm

Loma Linda Community Center

1700 Yale SE

Meeting with Kirtland Air Force Base Regarding Air Noise

My office has received numerous calls and email regarding noise from Kirtland Air Force Base disturbing residents of the SE Heights. Last week my office and a constituent met with Kirtland Air Force Base leadership including Col. Robert Maness, Commander of the 377^th Air Base Wing and Col. Joseph Hastings, Vice Commander of the 58^th Special Operations Unit. The Base leadership is committed to being a good neighbor to the SE Heights of Albuquerque and is willing and open to working with us. However, they did make it quite clear that they are unable to stop their operations and trainings they perform on the base. Their operations at KAFB are critical to the mission of the United State Air Force.

They assured us that they take noise complaints seriously and shared with us that over the last couple of months, there has been a major spike in noise complaints. I believe that if the “spike” becomes the norm, then they will be forced to modify their operations. I encourage folks to continue filing noise complaints with KAFB.

I offered to host a public meeting with the 377^th Air Base Wing and 58^th Special Operations Unit to allow the public to speak about the noise coming from the base. They were hesitant to host a separate meeting from their regularly scheduled Citizen Advisory Board Meetings. The next CAB Meeting is November 23, 2010 and they encouraged residents to attend this meeting and speak to this issue during the public comment period. Again, if there are number of residents speaking to this issue, they will be forced to revisit their operations.

Col. Maness and Col. Hastings were supportive of an idea to have a regularly scheduled CAB Meeting being devoted specifically to the noise issue from the base. CAB Meetings are held quarterly, so we look forward to that meeting which will occur next calendar year (April, 2011). Col. Hastings proposed having ongoing meetings on noise in the early fall of each year, as this is the time of year where they usually see a spike in noise complaints.

I would like to thank everyone for participating in this discussion and would like to encourage you to continue your participation. Keep filing your noise complaints with KAFB by calling the Public Affairs Office at 846-5991 or email at marie.vanover@kirtland.af.mil. My office will continue to keep in communication with KAFB and you can contact me 768-3152 or email me at reygarduno@cabq.gov or my staff person Julian Moya at julianmoya@cabq.gov.

Sandia Labs and Kirtland Air Force Base Public Meeting TONIGHT

Department of Energy (DOE)/Department of Defense (DoD)

Semi-Annual Public Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Cesar Chavez Community Center

7505 Kathryn SE

(off of Louisiana Blvd. and Zuni)

This is a joint meeting between Sandia National Laboratories’ Environmental Programs

and Kirtland Air Force Base Environmental Restoration Program (ERP).

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE)

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Introduction: John Gould – DOE

Meeting Framework: Maggie Seeley - Facilitator

Sandia’s Pollution Prevention Program: Ralph Wrons - SNL

Environmental Restoration (ER) Status: John Cochran – SNL

Long-Term Stewardship (LTS) Status: Caroline Byrd - SNL

Public Question/Answer: Public

Closing Remarks: John Gould – DOE

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD)

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Introduction: Wayne Bitner – KAFB

Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) Update: Laura McNamara – HGL

Bulk Fuels Facility (Phase-Separated Hydrocarbons (PSH)) (Site SS-111) Update: Wayne Bitner – KAFB

Public Comment: Public

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

John Gould

Wayne Bitner, YF-02

Department of Energy/Sandia Site Office

Chief, Environmental Restoration

P.O. Box 5400

377 MSG/CEANR

Albuquerque, NM 87185-5400

2050 Wyoming Blvd. SE, Suite 118

(505) 845-6089

Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5270

(505) 853-3484

Albuquerque City Council to Vote on Calling on The Federal Government to Remove and Dismantle Nuclear Weapons from KAFB

In keeping with the current national spirit of disarmament, Albuquerque’s City Council will consider and vote upon R-10-121, a resolution that calls for the dismantlement of the 2000-plus nuclear weapons at Kirtland Air Force Base.

In April 2010 Defense Secretary Robert Gates stated that “by reducing the role and numbers of US nuclear weapons… we can put ourselves in a much stronger position to persuade our NPT partners to join with us in adopting the measures needed to reinvigorate the non-proliferation regime and secure nuclear materials worldwide.” (NPR, p. v)

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has been conducting hearings on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), a bilateral treaty between the US and Russia which will reduce the number of nuclear warheads deployed on vehicles such as bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles and sub-launched ballistic missiles. This treaty will also reduce the number of deployed nuclear warheads to 1,550 or less within seven years and will probably result in more nuclear weapons coming to Albuquerque.

Albuquerque is already home to more than 2000 nuclear weapons which have been deactivated and slated for dismantlement. These nuclear weapons still contain their high explosives and nuclear materials, plutonium and uranium. Now is the time to dismantle, not just deactivate, these nuclear weapons, as we were told they would be when they were placed here.

10,000 citizens, most of them residents of Albuquerque, have signed a petition calling for the dismantlement of these nuclear weapons.

State Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino will reintroduce a memorial in the state senate this year calling for the dismantlement of the nuclear weapons at Kirtland, in a collaborative effort with Rey Garduno’s resolution at the city level.

Below is the bill's language, R-10-121:

Whereas, the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, which maintains more than 2000 + nuclear warheads (Air Force Times, 2/12/10), has recently had difficulty with decertification of its authorization to handle nuclear weapons (on January 27, 2010) after a series of high profile mistakes (US Air Force website, 2/9/10)(msnbc.com 2/11/10), and

Whereas, Albuquerque is reported in professional and local newspapers to be home to more than 2000 nuclear weapons (Air Force Times, 2/12/10), making it the highest concentration of nuclear munitions anywhere in the world; and

Whereas, in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Albuquerque City Council supports the dismantlement of nuclear weapons as part of the current global spirit of nuclear disarmament;

Therefore be it resolved that the City of Albuquerque City Council call for Congress and the U.S. Senate to seek funding so that the Pantex Plant in Texas, site of the nation’s only dismantlement center, could be expanded in order to facilitate the dismantlement of nuclear weapons;

Be it further resolved that the City of Albuquerque City council call for the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate to take action and have the nuclear weapons at Kirtland removed and dismantled at the earliest possible time for the safety and welfare of the people of the Albuquerque area.

Increased Noise WIll be Heard from KAFB

from a Kirtaland Air Force Base News Release;

Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico - The New Mexico Air National Guard, 150th Fighter Wing is conducting an Operational Readiness Exercise (ORE), from January 8 – 12, 2009. This exercise is in preparation for an evaluation team, from the United States Air Force Air Combat Command, to conduct an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI), of the 150th Fighter Wing in February 2009. Preparation for the inspection has included numerous training scenarios that have taken place throughout the past year, including the current ORE. This training has required enormous support from unit members and their employers.

During the January 10-12, 2009 exercise period, area residents should be aware, but not alarmed, that this training will include the simulation of explosives and small arms fire. An increase in aircraft flying activity during day and night-time hours is also anticipated during this time. Activities are expected to begin around 2:00 a.m. on January 10, 2008 and end at approximately 2:00 a.m. on January 12, 2009. We appreciate the communities continued support as we prepare both for our wartime mission and upcoming inspection.

Members of the 150th Fighter Wing, New Mexico Air National Guard, prepare and train to perform our missions as they are assigned to us. We support our nation’s war against terrorism and all other war time contingencies both at home and abroad.

Public Meeting to Discuss Fuel Release

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. – Kirtland Air Force Base will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, July 31 to discuss the KAFB Bulk Fuels release and the discovery of fuel product on the water table. The meeting will be held at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial and will start at 6 p.m. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Col. Michael Duvall, Commander of the 377th Air Base Wing, Mark Holmes, Project Manager for the Civil Engineer Division, and project support staff from CH2M-Hill will be giving a briefing on the history of the fuel release to include detection, investigation, and remediation efforts as well as future plans to address the fuels release on and off base.
A question and answer session will immediately follow the briefing to address any concerns or issues the public may have. Members of the New Mexico Environmental Department Groundwater Quality Bureau, the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center, and the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility will also be in attendance to answer questions.
The New Mexico Veterans Memorial is located at 1100 Louisiana Blvd SE (near Gibson and Louisiana).
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Jet Fuel Leaking from Kirtland to City

from the New Mexico Independent
By Trip Jennings, Marjorie Childress 07/11/2008
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ALBUQUERQUE -- Air force officials said Friday that 12 groundwater wells would be dug over the next year to monitor a long-term leak of jet fuel that has migrated off Kirtland Air Force and into the groundwater table nearby.
The fuel was discovered on the groundwater table in December 2007 after several years of tracking fuel from a leak detected in 1999, according to a Kirtland Air Force Base press release.
"An interim remediation system has also been installed to initiate removal of the fuel from the groundwater," a press release said Friday of the original leak. "The interim remediation system is removing liquid fuel from the groundwater and collecting it at the surface for recycling." Later, air force officials clarified that the fuel contamination had not made it to drinking water wells nearby.
The proposed wells will serve two purposes, said John Pike, chief of natural resources management at Kirtland Air Force Base: to determine the size and extent of the contamination in the groundwater and to ensure that the spreading of the fuel contamination doesn't get to several nearby wells that produce drinking water for the base, the Veteran Affairs Administration and the city of Albuquerque.
Air force officials briefed Albuquerque city officials Friday morning on the development.
City Councilor Rey Garduno, one of the officials briefed, said he was told that the leak is from fuel that hasn't been used since 1974. Garduno said he asked if the leakage had been happening since 1974 and was told that the Airforce "didn't know."
"It's a plume about two blocks wide and five blocks long, from a fuel storage facility near the northern boundary of KAFB," Garduno said.
"They've known about the leak for awhile and have remediated 130,000 gallons so far—which tells us it's quite large," Garduno said. "They hadn't told the public up until now because they thought it was contained within the base. But apparently, it hit clay and began flowing north to northeast, off the base. The neighborhood affected is the Ridgecrest community just south of Gibson."
Kirtland spokesman Michael Kleiman said the fuel migrating north to northeast and past the base boundary is from the same jet fuel leak discovered in 1999. The leak was caused by a corroded pipe leaking fuel. The leak is believed to have started sometime in the past 40 or 50 years, but it is unclear how long the leak continued. It is from this leak that officials have cleaned up 130,000 gallons of fuel vapors found in the soil, he said.
Garduno said he asked air force officials several questions around the groundwater contamination.
"I asked if it was possible it was causing air contamination, by evaporating up to the topsoil and into the air," Garduno said. "They said they hadn't had an opportunity to test the air but assured me that they would conduct those tests."
Kleiman said it was important to note that no contamination of drinking water wells had been discovered. He added that a $2.8 million contract to dig and install the 12 wells should be let by this fall, with drilling starting soon afterward. All 12 wells should be in the ground by next summer, Kleiman said, and there are no public safety concerns at this time.
A Kirtland air force base press release said that the "leaking pipes have been removed from service and the existing fuel distribution system tested and to date, no additional leakage has been detected." The release also said air force officials had been working "very closely with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Groundwater Quality Bureau (GWB) since 1999 "to identify and institute appropriate remedial actions and to conduct further investigation in order to assess the extent of impacts to the groundwater."
The release said Kirtland has closely monitored the base and Veterans Affairs Hospital water production wells and has verified no impacts to these wells.
The Kirtland and Veterans Affairs wells, located approximately 1,000-2,000 feet away from the edge of the known plume, are tested quarterly and the City of Albuquerque’s wells, located approximately 1.5 miles away from the edge of the known plume, are tested annually.
Kirtland AFB will provide periodic updates of its ongoing fuel release investigation and remediation efforts to the New Mexico Environment Department, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department, the Veterans Affairs Hospital and any potentially affected neighborhood associations adjacent to the base.
Garduno said that he "asked that we have some very open, public meetings, so that the public could be informed and have their questions answered. They assured me that they would do that in the next two weeks."
In addition to periodic updates, the base will be scheduling public meetings in the upcoming weeks to further discuss current and future remediation efforts. Kirtland will also hold its regularly scheduled public meeting on environmental issues on Oct. 16, 2008, at the Cesar Chavez Community Center. Subject matter experts will be available at all meetings to provide detailed information and answer any questions. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to attend.
"I commend the AFB for coming forward with the information, since it has such a negative aspect to it," Garduno said. "Now we need a very open and public discussion with full assurances that the air force will fully discover the extent of the contamination and its effects, and take responsibility for complete remediation for any contamination from this fuel leak."